Interior
Also called: book interior, inside pages
Definition
The interior is the full set of inside pages of a KDP paperback, distinct from the cover. KDP interior options for coloring books include white or cream paper, black-and-white or color printing, and standard or premium paper weight. Coloring book interiors almost always use white paper with black-and-white printing.
What is the interior on a KDP book?
The interior is everything inside the covers: front matter, body pages, and back matter, all uploaded as the manuscript PDF. KDP separates the interior file from the cover file because they are printed on different paper stocks and with different print specifications.
What interior options does KDP offer for coloring books?
KDP offers three interior paper options for paperback: white, cream, and color (premium). Coloring books almost always pick white paper because line art reads more crisply on white, and colorists need a clean white surface for marker and pencil work. Cream is used for novels and journals where the warmer tone is preferred.
Does the interior need to match the cover paper?
No. The cover is printed on cardstock (typically 80lb or 100lb gloss/matte) and the interior is printed on book paper (60lb white, 55lb cream, or 70lb premium color). They are different stocks chosen separately during KDP title setup. The interior choice affects print cost; the cover choice typically does not.
Can the interior have color pages mixed with black-and-white?
No, not in a single edition. KDP charges either black-and-white pricing or color pricing across the entire interior. Mixing color and B&W in one paperback edition is not supported; the whole book pays the color print rate even if only one page is in color. For mixed-content books, the workaround is two editions or a single B&W edition with color reserved for the cover.
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Related terms
Manuscript
The manuscript is the interior PDF file uploaded to KDP, distinct from the cover file. For coloring books, the manuscript contains all the line-art pages, any front matter (title page, copyright), and any back matter (about the artist, also-by). KDP requires a print-ready PDF at 300 DPI with embedded fonts and bleed.
Trim size
Trim size is the final physical dimensions of a KDP paperback after cutting, measured in inches (US) and rounded to 0.001 inch. The most common KDP coloring book trim sizes are 8.5 x 11 inches (standard letter), 8 x 10 inches (compact), and 8.5 x 8.5 inches (square). Trim size is set at title creation and cannot change later.
Gutter
The gutter is the inside margin near the spine where two facing pages meet. KDP requires a minimum gutter margin that scales with page count: 0.375 inch for 24 to 150 pages, 0.5 inch for 151 to 400 pages, and 0.625 inch for 401+ pages. Putting critical art in the gutter leaves it hidden in the spine.
Print-on-Demand
Print-on-Demand (POD) is a fulfillment model where a book is manufactured one copy at a time when a customer orders it. KDP is the largest POD operator in publishing. POD removes inventory risk and upfront print runs: the publisher uploads files once, and Amazon prints and ships each sale on demand for a per-unit print cost.